Thyrsis - Durnovaria / A Drink at the Door (7" Vinyl)

'Durnovaria / A Drink At The Door' on 7" black vinyl.

Thyrsis is a project inspired as much by literature as music. Dominic Baum (vocals, piano, clarinet) describes these two elements as being "of equal status" in his mind, with the musical side tracing back to his "intense and somewhat repressive" early experience of choral music. Baum is not easily drawn on the content and themes of his lyrics, but speaks more liberally about his love of poets such as Walter
Scott and Alfred Tennyson, naming Tennyson's elegiac "Idylls of the King" as a particular inspiration, as well as fantasy authors such as William Morris and Mervyn Peake.

Although Baum's commitments as a chorister and a music scholar allowed him little time for creative pursuits of his own, he and classmate Nat Jones (guitar) used the scarce time available to them to write. They were active on the Oxford music scene throughout their teenage years, frequently playing venues such as The Jericho Tavern and The Cellar, accompanied by their friend Ebyan Rezgui (saxophone/flute), amongst others. It was at this time that they met Jake Kavanagh (drums) and Tim Davies (trumpet), a school friend of Jones who recorded many of their early demos. Though the songwriting is now done primarily by Baum, at Thyrsis' core is over a decade of collaborations and Friendships.

Their releases so far have been few, but they have released two songs with Broadside Hacks since 2021. The first of those was Baum's adaptation of the folk song "Brigg Fair" for their "Songs Without Authors Vol. 1" compilation, an album of traditional songs interpreted by contemporary artists, recorded between lockdowns in 2020. It featured Katy J Pearson, Daragh Lynch (Lankum), Naima Bock, Yorkston
Thorne Khan amongst others. The Quietus said of the record that "there are points, as on Thyrsis' 'Brigg Fair', that the music swells with overpowering pastoral beauty", and the song was singled out for praise in The Times' 4-star review.

The second of those was a recording of Thyrsis' original song "Godstow Bridge", recorded live at Real World Studios for British Underground's short film "The Broadside Hack". The film explored the influence of traditional music on a new generation of musicians and featured performances from and interviews
with Thyrsis, caroline, Naima Bock, Broadside Hacks, Shovel Dance Collective and Boss Morris.

Their early-2022 single release 'Rosalia' saw a collaboration with producer Taylor Skye (Jockstrap), the two having been introduced over Zoom during the pandemic. Baum says of the song only that it was "inspired by an experience in Palermo", the name being a reference to the patron saint of that city, and it was recorded at Press Play Studios in Bermondsey.

Their most recent single "Durnovaria" was recorded at Laylow with the production assistance of Nina Madley, and features harp from Slow Dance signing Aga Ujma (Crack Cloud/Broadside Hacks). Noting that "Durnovaria" was the Roman name for the town of Dorchester in Dorset, Baum remarks that "with it being the home of both my mother and Thomas Hardy, it's a place I think about often". After reading Robert Graves' Claudius novels and his translation of Suetonius, Baum was inspired to explore the Roman history of the region, ultimately writing about the period following the conquest of Britain in 43 AD, in which it transitioned from Celtic hillforts to Roman-style towns such as Durnovaria. Like the demos of their teenage years, the record was mixed and mastered by Tim Davies, who also played trumpet on the track